Authorities in Los Angeles have arrested and charged a 52-year-old man in connection with the killing of renowned Bank of America executive Michelle A. Avan. In a statement, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said Anthony Duwayne Turner, who was Avan’s ex-boyfriend, has been charged with domestic violence murder of the 48-year-old woman.
Avan served as a senior vice president at Bank of America and she is remembered for her efforts in assisting people of color to pursue careers in her field of work, the Los Angeles Times reported.
The Los Angeles Police Department said the body of the 48-year-old victim was discovered in her Reseda home by a family member on Thursday. And this was after her family became worried after efforts to initially get in touch with her had proven futile.
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And though her cause of death is yet to be established, authorities said Avan appears to have sustained facial trauma. Turner, who was also Avan’s coworker at Bank of America, was arrested later on Thursday, KTLA reported. The accused has since been charged with a felony count each of murder and first-degree residential burglary. He pleaded not guilty to the charges Monday.
“Ms. Avan was a leader in our community and this senseless act of violence has resulted in a significant loss to us all,” District Attorney Gascón said in the statement.
Besides holding the role of senior vice president, Avan was also Bank of America’s head of global women’s and under-represented talent strategy, global human resources. And her responsibilities included helping the company with recruitment and developing promising workers.
“We are devastated,” the financial institution said in a statement. “Michelle was a valued member of our company for more than 20 years and will be greatly missed. We extend our deepest sympathies to her family.”
In 2019, the Los Angeles Sentinel named Avan as one of the most powerful and influential Black women leaders in the city. Avan also served as a member of the Los Angeles Urban League Board.
“We welcomed Michelle as a valued new member of the Los Angeles Urban League Board, but she was also a friend and a mentor to so many before she joined our board,” Michael A. Lawson, President & CEO of the Los Angeles Urban League, said in a statement.
“Our hearts, our prayers and our condolences go out to her family, her friends, her loved ones, and all those who experienced the joy of knowing her. We want to assure her family that we will always consider her and her children members of the Los Angeles Urban League family. We offer peace, blessings and our condolences for this tragic loss.”
Turner is currently being held on a $2 million bond, the Los Angeles Times reported.
